Everything you do is an irritation to me, why is it you cannot see? You claim superiority, so why am I the only one thinking rationally?
The hallways were always dark, a silent comfort to know her face and the expressions that lingered there will not be seen.
A light at the end of the hallway notified her that her supper was indeed done. Outside the rice paper door she inhaled deeply and suppressed the treacherous expressions before entering. A quick survey told her she will eat alone, again.
How many nights have been like this? How many times has she craved for the company of another? She shook her head before sitting on a tatami mat and eating a bit of rice and all the pasta. The pasta was a new recipe, westernized so it had a tangy quality to it.
She rather liked the after taste, and mentally noted to have the recipe copied for her own use. Green tea was laid out for her consumption but she ignored it. She preferred the taste of mandarin oranges, either eaten or squeezed, instead of the bitter tea which supposedly all Hyuga's enjoyed.
She snorted into her drink of water, she could only be glad that she was not born into the clan. Being born into the clan would mean it'd be harder to escape it. A sad smile curled her lips, another reason why Neji took so many missions.
Perhaps he thought it was better to risk his life than deal with the main clan. Tenten sighed deeply, Hinata and her were reasonably close but they spent little time together. Hinata sympathized with her and has all ready made it clear that from now on, no child will be branded.
At the inauguration held for Hinata there were rumors that Hiashi-sama was thinking of having Neji and Hinata wed. Shortly after Neji proposed, Tenten would hate to think that their marriage was made for that reason alone. Had she known what a life with Neji would mean, she would have refused him and his ways.
Her smile turned to kindness as she looked upon her belly which carries her unborn daughter. It was a relief to know that she will not be marked with a curse seal, now if only Neji shared her relief. Neji had been uncaring as ever when she told him of her pregnancy.
All his response was, a widening of his pupil-less eyes and the parting of his lips. That was before he regained his composure and left saying that it was about time. They had fought many times after that, she spoke of wanting him to support her, to care for her. He had snorted and began to leave, in a desperate attempt she had yelled after him that she would leave.
He scoffed at her and told her coldly that he could find another because all he really needed was a son instead of a marriage. That night she cried herself to sleep and he never came home. Slamming the glass cup down she rose to her feet and left the room, and the memories created there.
She slid the door to her room open and stepped into the darkness. With a heavy heart she closed her door, undid the kimono and slipped into the covers, as bare as the day she was born. That night she dreamed of dancing with the wind and wearing a dress of flowers.
The sun rose too soon, she had refused to wake for several minutes before the persistent light won out. Slowly she sat up, the covers pooling around her flared hips as she searched her room. A second door slid open and an aged maid stepped from the bathroom to bow.
"Hyuga-san, I have taken the liberty to warm the bath. Breakfast will be served upon your arrival." Tenten nodded before rising and taking the robe which was offered. "Are there any requests for what breakfast will be?" Tenten held the folded robe with both hands as she thought up an answer.
"No, although I would like a tall glass of squeezed mandarin oranges with the normality of my daily breakfast." The old maid nodded, the small bun resting on the back of her neck remained unmoving. "Yes of course. I will be back shortly to dress you, and as a reminder Sakura-san will stop by later to check the child's growth."
The door was slid closed and Tenten was left alone. She made her way to the steaming water and cautiously slipped inside the carved basin. She relaxed for several minutes before unbraiding her hair and rubbing into it the calming scent of lilac shampoo.
Sakura, silently she mused about the pink haired medic. Sakura became the head medic at the hospital. No longer was she the fragile blossom she was in her teens, but a beautiful tree with much fruit. Sakura is the true person who took after Tsunade-hime.
Tenten remembered back on the day she graduated ninja academy so long ago. She had said that she wanted to be a great ninja just like Tsunade-hime. It seemed to her that Sakura has taken that place. She pulled her hair under the water and ran her fingers through it.
Sakura is a great medic, she is respected and well known. Her only flaw essentially comes down to one word, Sasuke. She could have any man and he would be lucky, she is a great woman, but Sakura only sees Sasuke. Tenten figures Sakura is still waiting for him, and she'd probably wait eternity for him.
Aw, too be naive and contained in your own little world. She wondered what that would feel like when the problems of others didn't matter. The lilac scented soap was used to clean her skin before that too was washed away. She wrung her hair of excess water and patted down her body with a towel.
It was when she was pulling her cotton robe closed that she heard it. Pausing she listened again and the sound of footsteps outside her door had her reaching for the hidden compartment which held a single kunai. To any other a single kunai wouldn't be enough, but to the great weapons mistress who never missed, one was all she needed.